Everybody's a critic - 'Exorcist - The Beginning'

One star (out of four)

With crows and hyenas on the prowl in "Exorcist: The Beginning," the audience only snickers at this attempt to bring back the "Exorcist" series fourteen years after the last of the former trilogy.

I have not seen computer animation this awful since "Battle Queen 2020," but I thought perhaps the plot could save the rest of the film.

Wishful thinking on my part.

For well over half of the film, I would have gotten more out of it if I had fallen asleep. The remaining portion was too loud and crude to allow me to rest.

Relying mostly on shock-and-awe scenes, the movie is not frightening. In addition to bad makeup, the graphic spectacles do not flow with the storyline and the actors' inconsistent dialogue cannot carry the horror of the original movie.

Skip this movie and sit down with the director's cut of "The Exorcist," which is far more frightening.

- Emma Evans, student

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Three stars (out of four)

I am usually a little apprehensive about going to see a movie which is supposed to be a prequel to a classic. But this particular movie does its well-known predecessor justice.

This prequel tells the story of Father Merrin, played by Stellan Skarsgard, and his first encounter with the forces of evil.

While on an archaeological excavation of an ancient church found in Africa, he encounters the demonic possession of one of the women working in the area with the native people. The plot involves the attempt to rid her of the possessing spirit.

This movie definitely has plenty of religious overtones, since it deals with demonic possession. There is also a good amount of character development in Father Merrin as he wrestles with the demons of his past.

- Hank Sessoms, student/factory worker

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Three stars (out of four)

The movie starts out with the main character, Father Merrin, being hired to work on an archaeological site involving a church.

He is being sought out because of his religious knowledge as well as his reputation as a noted archaeologist.

He has long since given up being a priest and says he no longer believes in God. When you see his flashbacks to his time with the Nazis it is very easy to see why he feels that way.

During the course of the movie you are led to believe that the site is possessed by a demon. You think you know who it is, but it is not until almost the end of the movie that you find out your assumption is incorrect.

This movie has a very strong Christian message to anyone who believes that there is a God and that his love for us is unconditional. It is a movie well worth seeing. It will keep you on the edge of your seat and will also teach a very good lesson.

- Lin Bergfield, sales